Escape
by Skate-815
Summary: Hugh Wallis escapes from prison. Can Abi and Sam stay safe until they arrest him again? SamPhil. NOW COMPLETE. thanks again to laura for letting me use this rp.
1. Sam's mail

**Escape**

Author's notes:

This is all based on a roleplay I did with Chicken ages ago, back in the days that Jo was still in Sunhill and way before Stuart came. Thanks again Chicken. (All the good parts are hers.)

**Chapter One**

Hugh Wallis sat at a desk in his tiny prison cell, a pen in his hand. He wanted to see her, needed to speak to her, but he knew she would never come willingly. Still, he had to try and, if that didn't work, he'd just have to think of something more drastic…

Ds Samantha Nixon was handed her mail by JT that morning whilst she nursed a mug of tea, and a slight hangover. The flicked through the various letters before throwing them on her desk to look at in more detail later. However, the bottom one caught her eye. It was an A4 sized envelope with a familiar scrawl and a prison stamp.

"Anything important?" the DCI asked her as he came over to stand by her desk

"No, its nothing" she lied, shoving it under her other mail

"Good, I've got an important case for you to work on.

As soon as the DCI left her, Sam ripped the letter in half and threw it into the bin beside her desk. She buried herself in her work that day, trying to forget about the letter from Hugh. The case she had been assigned to with Jo was an interesting one. A man had come to the station reporting his daughter missing. The trouble was, no-one would believe him, as his daughter had run away before, and she had taken her clothes with her. It really looked like the girl had just ran away from home to her, but she promised the father she'd look into it. It strongly reminded her of Abi's abduction, but didn't mention it. Jo knew nothing about what had happened with her own daughter all those months ago and she intended for it to stay that way.

Author's notes: Its short but I'll update it frequently. It'll have at least 20 chapters.


	2. the conversations of zain and jo

Chapter 2

Jo entered CID, clutching case notes in her hand. She looked around for Sam, but when she couldn't see her, sat down beside a bored looking Zain.

"Is it just me, or is Sam acting weird today?" she asked him

"Haven't seen her. Why?"

"She just seems on edge today. What are you working on?"

"Just paper work" he rolled his eyes "You?"

"An abduction case, it's boring though. She's probably fine. I think the dad's just paranoid, but Sam's getting really stressy about it"

"I'll find out what's wrong if you want"

"Yeah, ok. How're you going to do that?"

"I don't know, but it beats paperwork!" Zain said

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Zain lingered around DS Phil Hunter's desk while he was on the phone

"What is it Zain?" he finally asked, sounding tired

"What's up with Sam today?"

"Why?" Phil said quickly, knowing about the case she was working on.

"She just seems preoccupied"

"It's nothing" Phil said in a firm tone.

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When he was sure that Zain was out of earshot, Phil went over to Sam's desk and whispered

"Zain's just asked me what's wrong with you, he's says you've been acting weird all day. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong."

"It's that case, isn't it?" he went on "I told you not to take it!"

"It's not the case. Well not really anyway" she lowered her voice "It's just because I got a letter from Hugh Wallis this morning"

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Zain and Jo watched Phil and Sam whispering to each other at Sam's desk

"What did you find out?"

"Nothing. Phil wouldn't tell me anything"

"There's probably nothing wrong with her"

"Maybe. But you didn't see Phil. He looked worried when I asked him about her"

"It's still probably nothing" Jo reasoned "I'm sorry I asked now" they both continued to stare at Phil and Sam's whispered conversation. A look of shock appeared on Phil's face

"Why didn't you tell me!" he exclaimed, loud enough for all of CID to hear. Zain and Jo watched as Sam shushed him, and their whispered conversation continued

"Well maybe something's up" Jo admitted


	3. Secrets

Author's notes: Thank you to Phoenix Angelwolf for reviewing! Please can everyone else reading this review too, good or bad :D

Warning: I did use the word slapper once or twice lol

Chapter 3

Sam glared at Phil after his outburst

"You want to say that a bit louder?" She said sarcastically

"Sorry. Want to go somewhere quieter so we can talk?" he asked her, looking concerned.

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She followed him outside, and they sat on a bench in the park, opposite the station. They sat in silence for several minutes until Phil finally asked her

"So what did he say?"

"I don't know, I didn't read it"

"Are you going to?"

"I can't, I ripped it up" she said, shivering as a bitter wind blew past

"You still should have told me" he said firmly

"Why?"

"We're supposed to be friends. Friends tell each other when their crazy stalker writes them a letter!" He went on. Sam sighed, knowing how hard Phil had worked to gain her trust, she knew she should tell him this sort of thing. She slowly nodded her head

"You're right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before now. But you have to tell me all your secrets in future too"

"I tell you everything anyway" he admitted. Sam looked surprised.

"You really tell me everything!"

"Well everything worth knowing anyway"

"Come on. You must have some secrets" she pressed. Phil shook his head. "But _everyone_ has secrets!"

"Not from you I don't. I learned my lesson from when I didn't tell you about Kate. And look where that got me!"

"So you've got no other secrets?"

"Nope. So what secrets do you have?" he asked

"None!"

"But you just said that everyone has secrets!" She hesitated. "Come on… Unless you don't trust me?" he said, looking hurt. Sam sighed

"Fine. My biggest, darkest secret is…" she paused "Well you know me and Hugh used to have a… well we had an affair?" He nodded "Well I… I got pregnant and had an abortion. Phil stared at her in amazement.

"You're joking, right?"

"I wish I was." She said sadly

"Does Hugh know?" She shook her head, wondering what Phil must think of her. She stood up to go back to the station.

"Sam wait" Phil got up and ran after her.

"Bet you think I'm a right slapper don't you"

"Course not"

"Well you should!"

"Why?"

"Because everyone, even my own mother used to call me that when they found out about Hugh's baby."

"Sam, believe me, you are definitely not a slapper."

"You think?"

"Yeah. If you were, you definitely would have slept with me by now" Phil flashed her a grin. Sam shivered again, and Phil took off his coat and gave it to her.

"Come on" he said "lets get back to the station, it's too cold to be out today"


	4. The message

Chapter 4

Jo leant on the wall beside her desk in Sunhill CID, talking to the father of the missing girl on the phone. She sighed as she hung up. They weren't making much progress with the case. She glanced out the window, and saw a couple walking towards the entrance of the station. The man had his arm around the girl. She smirked as she realised it was Sam and Phil. Sam looked a lot better than she had this morning.

"Zain" Jo called him over

"What?"

"Look at that." She pointed at Phil and Sam

"So?" he said, not sounding bothered

"So, do you think they're a couple?"

"I don't know. No-one tells me anything." The phone on Sam's desk began to ring. Jo picked it up, thinking it would be the father of the missing girl again.

"Hello?" It was a man's voice. "Is this Samantha?"

"No, it's her colleague, DC Jo Masters. Do you want me to leave a message?"

"Just tell her Hugh rang and I was wondering if she'd received my letter?"

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Sam and Phil came back into CID moments later, glad of the heat in the office

"Sam, someone called Hugh rang. He said he wanted to know if you'd received his letter" Jo said as she sat down. Sam's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Phil who looked nearly as alarmed as she did.

"I'm going to tell the DCI" Phil said, standing up quickly

"Why what's wrong?" Zain asked him, confused

"It's nothing" Sam said quickly "Phil, don't bother telling the DCI, he's just trying to wind me up" However, Phil walked out of CID, heading towards the interview rooms, bringing a reluctant looking Sam with him.

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"What was that about?" Zain said, staring after them

"I don't know, but let's just leave it. They would have told us if they wanted us to know." Jo said firmly.

"Fine" Zain said, not sounding happy about it. Just then, the phone on Sam's desk began to ring again. They both just stared at it for several seconds.

"Are you going to get that?" Zain asked her

"Why don't you get it?"

"You're the one working on the same case as her"

"But what if it's that guy again?"

"Fine" Zain rolled his eyes. He lifted up the phone. "Hello? Yeah, she's here" he handed the phone to Jo "It's the dad of the missing kid". Jo took the phone and began to talk to the distressed man on the other end. Zain glanced at Jo, making sure she was busy, and walked quickly in the direction that Sam and Phil had gone. He knew that the sensible thing would be to leave them alone, as Jo had told him, but he needed to know what was going on.


	5. Spying

A/N: I couldn't remember the name of the glass that you can see out of, but the other person can't, if you know what I mean lol. I just called it "One way glass" because I think I remember someone calling it that once, but I could be wrong.

**Chapter 5**

Zain spotted Sam and Phil in one of the interview room. Luckily, it had one way glass. He leant next to the door, and began to listen to Phil and Sam's argument.

"Sam, you can't just block him out and hope he'll go away. He's dangerous. That's why he's in prison. You of all people should know that!"

"I know he's dangerous, and I'm not blocking him out. I'm just ignoring him. He's just trying to wind me up, and you know it!"

"I just want you to be careful. He's a rapist for goodness sake!"

"I will be careful, and anyway, I've got you to protect me, don't I?" she smiled

"Yeah, your knight in shining armour at you service" he smirked

"Good." Sam said, considering the argument over.

"I'm going home now anyway, you want to come? I'll cheer you up…" Sam looked at him suspiciously. "No ulterior motive! I swear" he went on

"Alright. But no football!"

"Why not?"

"You hated it the last time I watched football with you! I kept asking you who was playing, where David Beckham was and what the point of the offside rule was, remember?" she asked him. They both laughed, glad the tension from earlier over Hugh Wallis was gone.

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Zain leant against the door of the interview room, thinking of what he had just heard. '_So Jo was right then, they are a couple' _he thought _'And the man who called Sam's dangerous. Phil said he was a rapist. Maybe he had even raped Sam at one point. That would explain her jumpiness over the call and Phil's over the top protectiveness.' _As Zain stood there, lost in thought, the door he was leaning on swung open, and he landed in a heap at Phil's feet.

"DC Nadir, what are you doing?" he demanded

"I was just tying my shoe lace" he quickly lied. Phil grabbed him by his collar, and pushed him against the door.

"How much did you hear?"

"Nothing just that you were going home now" Phil glared at him, but Sam sighed

"Let him go Phil", and he immediately obliged. Zain glanced at them one more time and walked quickly back up to CID.

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"So I think this Hugh guy raped her" Zain finished telling Jo all that he'd heard

"It would make sense" she agreed slowly

"That's not all. They caught me listening and then Phil threatened me!"

"So? You deserved it for listening in" Jo looked out of the window, in time to see Phil and Sam leaving together.

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"Sure I can't tempt you with the football tonight?" Phil asked her

"I suppose so, as long as you explain everything to me"

"Yeah, alright" Phil gave in

"So who's playing?"

"Birmingham and Chelsea" Phil told her. Sam looked lost already. "Don't worry. I don't expect you to know who they are" he laughed at her confused expression

"Well I know David Beckham plays for one of them, right?"

"This is going to be a long night" he sighed


	6. Football and phone calls

Chapter 6

They arrived at his house 15 minutes later. He handed her a glass of wine and started explaining just who Birmingham and Chelsea were. Sam was starting to look lost again at half time.

"Who's he?" she asked, watching them enter the tunnel

"Lampard" Phil groaned for what seemed like the 100th time. Sam grinned, knowing who all the players were by now, but it was fun provoking Phil. Sam shivered

"Don't you ever put on your heating Phil?" she asked him

"It's cheaper to just put on extra layers" he said seriously. He removed his own jumper and pulled it on over Sam's head. It was way too big for her and totally engulfed her petit frame.

"Sexy?" she asked him, laughing. Phil just smirked, not trusting himself to answer. After the match had finished, Phil wanted her to stay in his spare room for the night, but Sam insisted she had to get back to Abi.

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As Sam sat in the taxi on the way home, she thought about how close she and Phil were becoming again. Although she liked his company, she wasn't sure she was ready to get into a relationship with him just yet. She didn't know what she'd do if he asked either. '_Oh well _a tiny voice in her head said _He's bound to mess it up soon anyway._ The taxi pulled up at her house. Sam got out, and was just paying the driver when Abi ran out of the house, her face tear stained.

"What's wrong Abi?" Sam asked, worried

"He phoned…. He wants you to go visit him"

"Who called?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hugh" she said in a small voice

"When?"

"About ten minutes ago. He didn't even ask about me, or the baby. He doesn't care. He just wanted to know about you. He kept asking me where you were, and when I told him you were at Phil's house, he got angry and hung up. I shouldn't have told him about Phil, should I?"

"No, it's alright" Sam reassured her, leading her back inside. All the drama made Abi fall back asleep almost instantly now her mother was home. Sam quickly called Phil.

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"Now will you tell the DCI?" Phil asked her, once he'd heard the story

"Of course" Sam said "I didn't realise he knew my home number, or I'd have changed it by now."

"So are you going to see him?"

"No way! That's just what he wants"

"But it's been over a year Sam, and he hasn't tried to contact you before. Why would he call now?"

"I don't know, do I? I'll have to ask Jack in the morning, see what he thinks."

"Are you sure you want to be alone tonight?" Phil asked

"I'm not alone. Abi's here."

"You can call me if you want me to come over later" he reassured her "Or if you just want to talk or something."

"It's fine, really"

"Alright" he didn't sound happy about it "See you tomorrow then." He hung up and moved the phone so it was next to his bed, so he could answer it as soon as it rang.


	7. Zain

Chapter 7

The next morning, Sam made sure Abi had company before she left the house. As she walked into work, she met Phil at the door. He'd been waiting for her.

"So are you going to tell the DCI today?"

"Yeah" she nodded

"Want me to come in with you?"

"No, I'll be fine." He looked doubtful "Really, I'm fine!"

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Zain and Jo had been at the top of the stairs when they had come in

"Look, they're together again" Zain commented

"They could just be friends. Gary and I used to be together all the time, and there was nothing going on there" she reminded him

"But you can tell he fancies her"

"But she doesn't necessarily feel the same"

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"Look, Zain's staring at us again" Phil said, sounding annoyed "I thought he'd learned his lesson about spying from yesterday"

"Yeah. I wonder why he keeps doing that."

"Maybe he fancies you"

"I don't think so." Sam said confidently "Hey, maybe he fancies you!"

"What!" he said in disbelief

"Well, you never know. It's not as if we know anything about his personal life, is it?"

"Shut up Sam"

"Why, have I touched a nerve?" she laughed

"No. I'd just rather we didn't talk about Zain fancying me. I've just had my breakfast Sam, I don't want to lose it" he said seriously. She laughed.

"Would it be so bad if he did?"

"Yes!"

"Well he's not bad looking" Sam commented

"Shut up Sam" Phil said again

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"See look at them" Zain said to Jo "They might as well be tearing each other's clothes off"

"Yeah, thanks for that Zain" Jo shuddered at the thought.

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Phil sat down at his desk, and tried to concentrate on the mountain of paperwork he had. Sam had just gone into Jack's office, and he was worried about her. Sam was acting like it was everyday a rapist phones you, and sends you a letter! He wasn't in a good mood either. He had barely had a wink of sleep all night last night, from worry, every time a phone rang in CID, he jumped thinking it would be Hugh and to top it all off, Zain kept giving him funny looks. Phil was not having a good morning!

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"So what did he say?" Phil asked Sam as soon as she emerged from Jack's office.

"Nothing really, just to be careful, and to tell him if any more letters arrive, or if he phones again."

"Is that all?" Phil said, sounding surprised

"Yeah, what did you expect him to say?"

"I don't know…. I thought he might contact the prison or something" She shook her head.

"Are you alright?" She asked him

"Yeah, why"

"It's just you seem more worried than I am"

"Well one of us has to worry. You're acting like this happens all the time!" Sam opened her mouth to answer when Jack called

"Zain. Phil. I want you to work on this burglary case."

"If it's alright with you Guv, I'd rather stay here today" Phil said to him, watching for Zain's reaction out of the corner of his eye. He didn't look bothered.

"Sorry Phil, everyone else is busy. Do you have a problem working with Zain?"

"No, course not" Phil said through gritted teeth.

"Right, well get going then" he left the room.

"You'd better watch out he doesn't corner you in an empty bedroom" Sam whispered to him as he walked past. Phil shot her an evil look, but didn't have time to say anything else, as Zain was waiting for him.


	8. gay or straight?

Chapter 8

Zain and Phil sat in Phil's car. Phil was very uncomfortable being around Zain now, thanks to Sam's comments, and it really wasn't helped by Zain glancing at him every so often.

"Will you stop that!" Phil shouted at him

"Stop what?" Zain asked, sounding confused

"Nothing. Sorry" Phil calmed down again. Zain began looking at him even more often now. A long uncomfortable silence took hold once again.

"So what's going on between you and DS Nixon?" Zain asked to break the silence.

"What?"

"Is there something going on between you and Sam?" Zain repeated

"Well for a start, that's none of your business!"

"But there is, isn't there. I've seen you two together"

"Why… Why are you so interested?" he asked, thinking of Sam's words again

'_What's up with him' _Zain thought '_it's not as if it was a difficult question'_ Phil had a sort of panic-stricken look on his face, and he was edging as far away from Zain as possible

"Look, there's our guy" Zain said, spotting him out of the corner of his eye, and got out of the car. Phil breathed a sigh of relief, and followed slowly.

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"You look like you've seen a ghost" Sam commented as a pale Phil brought the suspect in, with Zain striding in front. He gave the suspect roughly to Zain and whispered to Sam

"Zain just came onto me!"

"Really!" Sam looked shocked "What happened?"

"He kept giving me these funny looks all day, and then he asked me if we're going out!"

"So?"

"What do you mean so? He's in love with me!"

"You're really over reacting Phil" Sam tried to calm him

"Sarge" Zain called "We can interview him now"

"Wish me luck" he muttered and walked towards the interview room, getting paler with every step. Sam laughed as she walked him go. He was acting like he was being sentenced to death or something. She waited for him to enter the interview, and then went into CID to find Jo.

"Jo, what do you know about Zain's private life?" she asked carefully

"Not much. Why?"

"Well Phil's convinced he's gay, what do you think?" Jo burst out laughing. "I'm being serious!"

"Well I've never heard him talking about a girlfriend, and he never seems to take much interest in anyone. Maybe Phil's right" Jo grinned

"So Phil better watch out then" Sam stared laughing too

"Yeah. Actually, now I think about it, he sounded very jealous when he was looking at you and Phil together."

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Sam and Jo busied themselves with their work until Zain came upstairs again, looking pleased with himself.

"Zain, come here" Jo called over

"What?"

"Are you gay?" Sam cringed at Jo's bluntness. Zain said nothing, but just stared at Jo in disbelief

"Of course not!" he said, not sounding convincing. He turned and left the desk quickly

"We any the wiser then" Sam smirked

"Nope, I'd tell Phil to watch out if I were you" Jo laughed, seeing Phil come in, looking very pale and tired.

"I've got a meeting to go to, so I'll leave you two love birds alone" Jo whispered to Sam

"We're not a couple" Sam hissed at her

"Whatever" Jo smirked and left.

"Sam, can I have a word?" the DCI called from his office.

"Try to stay calm" Sam whispered to Phil, seeing the look on his face when he realised he would be in the room alone with Zain.


	9. Escape!

Chapter 9

Sam came out of the DCI's office minutes later. She saw Phil sitting on his desk, casting wary glances at Zain while he worked.

"So you survived on your own then?" she asked him, sitting in her chair

"Yeah, no thanks to you" he said, looking relieved she was back. "So what did the DCI want?"

"He just wanted to tell me that they'd contacted the prison and they were going to increase security."

"That's good" he yawned

"Aww is poor Phil tired" she laughed, ruffling his hair, just as Zain was walking past, warranting more weird looks from him

"Yeah I am actually" he yawned again, enjoying the attention

"Early night for you then?" he nodded

"Unless you want to join me…." He hinted

"No, I'll pass thanks" she laughed "Oh that reminds me, I have your jumper in my car from last night."

"Ok. Last night was fun; we should do it again soon"

"We should, but you'll have to remind me to bring a jumper, if you're too stingy to turn on your heating. You're clothes swamp me!"

"You should grow some more then" he laughed "How tall are you anyway?"

"5ft 5"

"Liar" Phil laughed again "More like 5ft 0!"

"5ft 2 and a quarter actually!" he burst out laughing at her accuracy

"When you're a short as I am, you need every quarter you can get" Sam told him seriously. "It's not that funny!" she told him as he fell about the floor laughing

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Hugh sat alone in his cell. Since his letter to Samantha, he had tried calling her twice. And both times he had been met with the same answer "_She's not here, she's out with Phil…" _He had always suspected that there was something going on between them, and now he knew for sure. And now to top it all off, they'd increased security. Hugh was furious! He picked up his pen and started to write _Dear Samantha, by the time you read this, I'll be out of prison…_

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He put down his pen, feeling better than he had in months. That would certainly un-nerve her and her lapdog Phil Hunter. Now all he needed was a plan….

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Sam opened her mail without looking at it. She stared in horror at the first line of her letter _Dear Samantha, by the time you read this; I'll be out of prison…_

"Hey" Phil greeted her, dumping a mug of coffee on her desk "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What?" Sam asked, distracted

"What's that?" Phil asked her, snatching the letter out of her hands before she could protest. He scanned it quickly

"Don't worry, it's never going to happen" he said, sounding more confident than he felt. The DCI emerged from his office, looking grim

"Sam, I have some bad news" he ushered them both into his office.

"Hugh's escaped hasn't he" Sam said, sounding more tired, than upset or angry

"Yeah…. How did you know?"

"He sent me a letter and said he was going to"

"Another letter… why didn't you tell me about this"

"I was going to Guv; I only got it this morning"

"Ok then. It is unlikely he'll return to Sunhill, especially as nearly every officer here knows who he is, but just to be safe, we're going to get guards for you and Abi. They'll stay with you 24/7"

"I'll do it!" Phil volunteered

"No, you don't have to do that Phil" Sam told him firmly

"No, Phil would be great. He's already with you at work, so we won't have to pay him." Jack decided "Unless you don't want him Sam?"

"No Phil's fine" Sam agreed smiling at him

"Right, so Phil will stay with you at all times, and we'll hire a guard for Abi" Jack decided. By the end of the day, Abi had been assigned a huge bodyguard and Sam had Phil with her while the rest of the police force searched for Hugh.


	10. Gossip

Chapter 10

"What's going on?" Jo asked Zain as she arrived late in CID the next morning. She had noticed the lack of officers around on her way up

"Didn't you hear?" She shook her head "A rapist has escaped from prison. Nearly all of the stations out looking for him."

"The whole station? For one escaped prisoner? That's weird!"

"That's what I thought, but then Terry told me he had some kind of history with Sam"

"What kind of history?" he shrugged "But, the guy that escaped is Hugh Wallis. The guy who phoned her"

"So do you still think he raped her?" she asked him

"I dunno. But Terry said some interesting stuff before Phil interrupted…" Jo waited for him to go on. "But before I tell you this, I want to know something too."

"Ok, what?" Jo said impatiently

"Why do you think I'm gay?"

"I don't, Sam and Phil do"

"That's just great" he said sarcastically "Why?"

"She's convinced Phil that you are and now he's all paranoid that you fancy him or something" Jo rolled her eyes

"Great" Zain said again, sitting down

"Yeah, anyway, what did Terry tell you?"

"He said Hugh used to one of Sam's professors and they slept together"

"Really? How does Terry know that?"

"Well apparently something happened before we arrived at Sunhill, and everyone else knows about it"

"So that's why Phil hates him…. Did he say anything about…?"

"No. Phil came over and told us to get on with our work"

"Well Suzie, Phil and I are working on a case today, I'll see if I can get her on her own long enough to ask her" Jo said

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Sam was nearly dying of boredom. Jack said she wasn't allowed to leave the station, 'just in case something might happen'. Abi had been moved to her grandparents' house in Brighton for her own safety. She was alone in CID except for Zain and Phil, who had both been talking on the phone for at least twenty minutes. She glanced over at Zain as he hung up as he shot another quick glance in Phil's direction. She hadn't really thought he was gay to begin with, but it was getting scary now! Her eyes met Phil's and he winked at her. She nodded at Zain and Phil turned just in time to see Zain's head jerk downwards. He hung up too, and crossed the room towards Sam.

"Promise me you'll never leave me alone with him again"

"Ok, I won't" she laughed at the terror in his voice.

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Phil was meant to be with Sam 24 hours a day, so Sam was going to be spending the night at Phil's because Hugh didn't know where he lived.

**A/N: I'm going on holiday for a while, so this is the last update for a few weeks, unless you all review tonight, then I might get a new update in tomorrow before in between the packing. So if you want another chapter, review!**


	11. more football and phone calls

Chapter 11

As they were at Phil's house, Sam was stuck watching the football again.  
"So who's playing again?" she asked 30 minutes into it  
"Chelsea and Arsenal" he said shortly, not taking his eyes off the screen. Sam sighed. She could dance in front of him naked and he probably still wouldn't notice.  
"Phil, I'm cold" she said  
"Go get a jumper then" he said as if it was obvious  
"Which one?"  
"Any of them" She sighed again and walked towards his bedroom. She emerged minutes later wearing his beloved Chelsea shirt, and sat down beside him. He glanced at her quickly, and then did a double take  
"That's my Chelsea shirt!"  
"So?"  
"So you better not spill anything on it!"  
"I won't" she grinned, glad to have finally got his attention. She shivered again. Phil glanced at her and cautiously put his arm around her. She sighed and lent into him. She felt him relax as he realised she wasn't going to kill him for his action. They watched until the end of the game. Sam decided she was going to bed unlike Phil, who was staying up to watch the Highlights. Sam personally couldn't see the point, as he'd already seen the game, but Phil insisted it was important. She was just standing up to leave the room when Phil's phone started to ring. Sam knew that there was no possible way Hugh Wallis could have Phil's house number, but the sound of the phone still terrified her. Phil picked up the phone, and, seeing Sam's terrified face out of the corner of his eye, he answered carefully  
"Yeah, she's still awake Abi; do you want to talk to her?" Sam sighed in relief as Phil passed her the phone.  
"Hey Abi, how's your grandparents?" Phil went to the kitchen to get more wine. He had a feeling he was going to need it. He would never admit it to Sam, but for a minute there he was almost sure that Hugh Wallis would be on the other end of the phone. He paused at the living room door as he heard Sam shouting at Abi down the phone.  
"It's for your own safety Abi!" Phil heard her pause and then say "You can't just walk out, what if Hugh finds you! What about Dylan, you can't just leave him too!" Phil continued to listen in until Sam hung up. He waited at the door for a couple more seconds so it wasn't too obvious he was eavesdropping, and then opened the door. He saw her tear-stained face and asked her,  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing" Sam wiped her eyes  
"You have to tell me, remember? You promised"  
"Abi had a huge argument with my mother. I don't blame her either. My mum always was… let's say difficult at times. She's never been the easiest person in the world to get on with, and age hasn't improved that. Abi's threatening to leave"  
"What happened?"  
"I don't know, probably something stupid." She sighed "My parents aren't used to having a teenager in the house anymore"  
"Isn't there anywhere else she can stay then?"  
"Well she says she'll stay there until tomorrow night anyway. She'll probably be alright when she gets out of the house for a while. I'll phone her tomorrow to see if she still wants to leave." She sat back down in the seat "So are you going to give me some of the wine or not!"


	12. Abi

Chapter 12

Jo and Zain were doing paperwork when Phil and Sam arrived together again. Zain opened his mouth to comment on it, but Jo hissed,  
"Don't start on about Sam and Phil again Zain, Sam has enough trouble with Hugh Wallis stalking her without you hassling her about her love life!" Zain rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look, Zain's watching me again" Phil hissed to Sam has the walked in together.  
"Leave him alone Phil" Sam snapped "Zain's not going to try anything, even if he is gay, which I doubt. Both of you defiantly have better things to do than argue about his sexuality!"  
"But…"  
"Shut up Phil" Sam sighed. Jack came out of his office  
"Sam, can I have a word? It's about Abi" Everyone in CID looked up  
"Yes Guv" Sam said nervously and she and Phil followed him into his office.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The short walk across CID seemed to last a lifetime for Sam as all the possible scenarios that could have befallen Abi flashed across her mind.  
"What's happened to Abi?" she asked as soon as the door was closed  
"Sam, Abi's grandparents just called, they said they tried your house, but you weren't in."  
"I was at Phil's" Sam mumbled,  
"I know, but they didn't have his number."  
"What's wrong with Abi?" Sam repeated.  
"She ran away last night. She left Dylan with her grandparents though, he's safe. We've sent out search parties, but we haven't been able to find her yet"  
"Has Hugh been caught yet?"  
"No, but I don't think there's any reason to think he's responsible. Abi has run away before" Jack reminded her

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Abi wandered through the darkened alley. So far, she'd managed to avoid security cameras that would give away her location to the police. She didn't want to be found. Not yet anyway. She wanted to give her mum time to worry, and to blame herself before she came back, safe and sound. It would give her time to think of a decent excuse too. She'd told her mum that she didn't want to go to her grandparents, and she hadn't listened. She'd been too worried about shacking up with Phil Hunter to take any notice of her. She'd show her…


	13. Hugh and Abi

Sam sat at her desk, hitting her pen off the desk, trying to release some of her energy. She hadn't even noticed she was doing it until Phil snatched it out of her hand and laid it on the table in front of her.   
"She'll be ok, Sam" Phil reassured her  
"How do you know that?" she asked sadly  
"I just do. Now, the DCI said you could have anyone in CID to work on finding her. Who do you want?"  
"I don't know anyone" Sam said, resuming hitting the pen off the desk.  
"Sam"  
"Fine, you, Jo and Zain" she said, saying the first 3 people she saw  
"Zain?"  
"Yes Phil, Zain." Sam sighed "Will you please stop being so paranoid. I don't even think he's gay!"

Abi was wandering down an alley when she noticed a shadow on the wall behind her. She turned around and was shocked when she came face to face with Hugh Wallis.  
"Stay away from me" Abi whispered, backing away  
"It's not you I'm looking for. Where's your darling mother" Hugh snarled  
"That's all anyone cares about, isn't it"  
"Who's anyone?"  
"Phil Hunter. All he ever does is interfere, and he always asks her if she's alright and he always flirts with her to make her happy. I don't know what he sees in her! She just loves the attention. That's why I'm here now. She sent me up here so she could shack up with him" she spat. Hugh talked to her a while longer, before leaving her in the alley to catch a bus to London. 

"You can't stay here all night." Phil said to Sam, as Suzie, the last person there, except them left.  
"I suppose" Sam sighed, and stood up. "I just want to be here if any news about Abi arrives"  
"Well they know my home number" Phil said taking her arm and leading her outside. "Anyway, I know something that'll cheer you up"  
"It's not more football is it?" she asked  
"Nope. Cheesecake."  
"Really? Where?"   
"Home. Come on" he said, opening the car door for her


	14. Cheesecake, Abi and Zain

Sam was happily eating her cheesecake at Phil's house, while Phil had once again started watching the football. Phil had tried to get some cheesecake too, but Sam had taken it off him, saying she was the sad one and he didn't deserve any. His phone started to ring. He sighed and stared at it. Something bad always seemed to happen when he got a call on it now.  
"Hello?" he said tiredly

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He walked into the kitchen, minutes later  
"Who was that?" Sam asked  
"The DCI. I have some bad news. Hugh's been sighted"  
"That's good" Sam said  
"No, Abi was with him." Phil explained.  
"What?"  
"Don't worry; it didn't look like he forced her to do anything. Apparently, they talked for 10 minutes then they both left in different directions." Sam sat down quickly, hating the thought of Abi being near him again.

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Zain pulled into the Sunhill car park the next day. He looked around the car park and noticed he was nearly the first one from CID there. He couldn't spot Phil or Sam's car anyway. He locked his car, and was about to walk inside when he saw the man they had been searching for for the past few days out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe his luck. He knew he should call for backup, but arresting Hugh Wallis was too big an opportunity for him to miss. And anyway, he really wanted to know what was going on for a change. He shouted out,  
"Stop, police" and of course, Wallis ran. Zain sighed, why do criminals always run? He sprinted after him, and saw him turn a corner, that Zain knew ended in a dead end. He slowed down and walked around the corner. He stopped, wondering where Hugh had gone, when he felt something hit him hard on the back of the head, and everything went black.


	15. Hugh and Zain

Chapter 15

Phil and Sam walked into CID 20 minutes later. Sam glanced around quickly  
"Looks like Zain's not in yet, you're safe" she smirked  
"His cars outside" Phil reminded her  
"Well he's not in CID anyway" she said reaching for her mail. She opened the top letter, which was in a large brown envelope without looking at it. It said  
_Dear Samantha,  
I had a run in with your lovely daughter yesterday. Don't worry; it's not her I'm interested in, this time. It's ironic that all this could have been avoided if you'd just come to visit me in prison._

Hugh.

Zain opened his eyes and found himself in a dark room. He could hardly see. He tried to move and discovered he was tied to a chair. He struggled to remember what had happened. He remembered chasing Hugh Wallis, but that was all. He heard a voice bark loudly  
"Who are you?" his voice echoed around the empty room. Zain hesitated, wondering if he should reveal his identity.  
"DC Zain Nadir" he said finally,  
"Well Zain, what do you know about Samantha Nixon and Phillip Hunter?"  
"Who?" Zain asked, wondering if Hugh would let him go if he pretended he didn't know them.  
"I know you know them. They work in the same station as you. I'll ask you again, what's going on with Samantha and Phillip?"  
"Who are you?" Zain asked, avoiding the question  
"You know who I am!" he hit him hard on the back of the head. "I'd start cooperating if I were you" Hugh snapped "What do you know about Samantha and Phillip?"  
"I know that they're both Sergeants… "He started, but Hugh cut him off  
"I don't want to know their life story! I want to know about them as a couple"  
"I don't think they are a couple"  
"Then why's she staying at his house then?" he asked. Zain paused; he hadn't known where Sam was staying.  
"To keep her safe from you" he said  
"She could have stayed anywhere! Why with him!"  
I don't know. But their definitely not a couple" Zain said, getting an idea "Phil's gay anyway"  
"When I saw them, they looked really close" Hugh snarled "And Abi thinks their a couple!"  
"Maybe Sam doesn't know yet" Zain tried  
"Really?" Hugh asked, warming to the idea "Well when she finds out, she'll need a shoulder to cry on, won't she. And I'll be able to be her knight in shining armour for once, instead of _him_" he snapped  
"Who's him?"  
"Hunter" he spat the "You know Samantha and I would be a couple by now if it wasn't for him!"   
"Really?" Said Zain is disbelief  
"Yes! Hunter ruined everything between us, he was always interfering, always there for her, always offering her a shoulder to cry on!" he ranted. Zain watched in silence. He hadn't realised just how much Wallis hated Phil  
"So how do you know Sam?" Zain asked, knowing Sam was Hugh's favourite subject  
"I lectured her at university, and then we started dating."  
"You dated a student!"  
"Yeah, so?"  
"I didn't think you were allowed to do that. Wouldn't you get sacked if anyone found out?"  
"They did find out, then I got sacked and she left me" he snarled, the memory of it still making hatred rise up inside of him  
"And now you want her back?"   
"I've always wanted her back!"


	16. Bathtime

Chapter 16

"Come on Sam" Jack urged her" Can you think of anywhere Hugh might go if he's in trouble?"

"I don't know! I can't remember him ever mentioning anything like that" Sam said, obviously distressed. There was a knock on the door, and Jo entered.

"I know this probably isn't the thing you want to hear right now, but Zain's gone missing" she said "There's CCTV of Hugh knocking him out and dragging him to his car"

"This is all my fault" Sam whispered

"No, it's not" Jack told her firmly "Why don't you and Phil take the rest of the day off?"

"Ok" Sam said and she let Phil lead her to the exit, his arm around her. Hugh stood outside the police station, watching for any sign of Phil or Sam. It wasn't long before they emerged, Phil's arm tightly around her.

"He doesn't look gay" he muttered to himself. He got in his car and followed them to Phil's house, where they disappeared inside. Hugh smirked to himself. Now he knew where Phil lived, he could get to them whenever he wanted…

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Phil sat in the bath, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days while Sam was downstairs watching TV. He was lost in thought when he heard a timid knock on the door.

"Phil, can I come in?" he heard Sam say

"Yeah alright, but keep your eyes closed when I get out" he joked as she came in. She sat down on the floor beside the bath, and began to talk. However, Phil felt his mind wander more and more. Ever since Hugh had escaped from jail, Phil was starting to feel things towards Sam that he hadn't felt since Abi's abduction. He had always fancied her, and since he'd been shot, he had been pretty sure he was in love with her, and now he knew for certain that he was. He just didn't know if she felt the same way as he did. He absentmindedly reached into the water and flicked some at her.

"Phil!" she screamed.

"Shh, the neighbours will think I'm murdering you or something" he grinned, splashing more at her. She stood up, but slipped on the water on the floor and landed in the bath, on top of Phil. She laughed, but the laughter died out when she realised her and Phil's faces were inches apart, closer than they had been since Phil tried to kiss her that day in the DI's office. She felt sorry for hurting his feelings, but she hadn't been ready then, and she wasn't sure she was ready now, as Phil leaned down towards her, about to kiss her. She quickly moved away from him and said,

"I'd better be getting back to Corrie"

"Yeah" Phil agreed, looking disappointed "Sam"

"Yeah?" she turned around

"Pass me a towel please".

"Oh, yeah, I forgot sorry" she handed him it and turned around as he got out. She turned to leave when Phil caught her wrist and said,

"Sam, wait" There was a thump on the door downstairs, and they both froze "If it's him go and hide in my room, and don't come out 'til I say it's safe" he said quickly.

"Don't worry Phil, he doesn't know where you live, remember"

"I know, but go and hide, just in case" Sam did as she was told, and watched as Phil pulled on his jeans and walked slowly down the stairs, still with no shirt on. Sam heard a shout, so she ventured out of the room carefully, peering down the stairs, and she noticed the front door open. She quietly went down, seeing a car race by, Hugh driving, Phil lying unconscious on the back seat.


	17. Hugh and Phil

Chapter 17

Phil got thrown onto a hard, cold stone floor. He struggled to sit up, but fell on his face, as his hands were tied together.

"How long?" Hugh's voice thundered from the shadows.

"How long what?" Phil snapped, finally managing to sit up

"How long have you been sleeping with Samantha!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about" He crossed the room, and hit Phil hard. His nose began to bleed.

"I'm not sleeping with Sam" Phil said firmly

"Anyone can see how close you are. Abi thinks so too."

"I told you before, he's gay" Zain's voice rang out through the darkened room. Phil's head snapped around, he hadn't realised Zain was there.

"What are you talking about" he hissed

"Just go along with it" he replied quietly. Hugh watched the two men talking, not hearing what was being said, but sensing the tension between them.

"Look I don't care what you say, I saw you two together this afternoon, the pair of you couldn't have been much closer without tearing each other's clothes off!" Hugh stated as Phil tried desperately to stop the blood flow, not letting Zain anywhere near him.

"What does she even see in you?" Hugh's rant continued "You're supposed to be a reformed ladies' man. Hunter by name, Hunter by nature. She could do so much better!"

"What like you?" Phil asked. Hugh's denial would have been funny, if he wasn't tied up. Hugh's words stung though. Hugh didn't know it, but he was right. Sam thought she could do so much better. If she wanted him, she had the perfect opportunity to kiss him in the bath, but she hadn't. She'd moved away from him when he tried to make the first move. He knew Sam didn't want him, but he wasn't going to let Hugh know that.


	18. Making a Trade

Chapter 18

Sam sat in Jack's office, staring at the wall in disbelief. She couldn't believe that two of her colleagues had gone missing on the same day, because of her. She was desperately trying to think of somewhere important to Hugh. Somewhere he would take Zain and Phil. It obviously couldn't be too far away, as he'd got Zain at about 9 o'clock and he would have had to be back to follow Sam and Phil home at around 11, so he couldn't be more than an hour away. Everywhere Sam could think of was at least 3 hours drive, to where Hugh used to lecture. She tried to keep thinking about it, but her mind kept wandering to Phil, wondering if he would blame her for his kidnap. She shivered as the realisation dawned on her that he mightn't even be alive anymore. She knew Hugh hated him, but how far would he actually go? She shook her head to clear all thoughts like that out of her mind. She couldn't believe Phil was dead, especially as she had just rejected him. He couldn't have died thinking she didn't care about him. She wouldn't think like that again. Jack stood in the doorway

"Hugh just sent a ransom note"

"Really?" Sam's head jerked up "What does he want"

"You in exchange for Phil and Zain"

"I'll do it" She said without a second thought.

"But Sam…" Jack protested

"I have to Guv. In the past few years, this man had kidnapped my daughter and two of my friends, just because I rejected him years ago. I have to face up to him this time"

"Fine" Jack sighed, reluctantly, "But we're going to need a plan!"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sam stood in CID, Smithy, helping her put on a bullet proof vest.

"Do you just want to pull that a bit tighter smithy and completely cut off my circulation!" she was becoming irritable now as all the things that she would say to Hugh floated through her mind.

"Sorry" Smithy said, pulling the vest tighter again

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

"Right, let's go over the plan one more time" Jack pressed

"I know what I'm doing. I stand outside the warehouse until I see Phil and Zain escape, then I stay away from Hugh until someone arrests him. It couldn't be simpilar!"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"There's no way she's going to go through with this, you know" Phil told Hugh

"She will if she cares about your life, Loverboy" Hugh smirked

"How long until you tell her you little secret then? That's if you ever see each other again…"

"What secret?"

"About you being gay"

"Oh yes. That. Soon." Phil said, glaring at Zain. They had agreed to adopt that cover story, but only because they couldn't think of anything else. Phil leant over next to Zain and whispered,

"When we get out of this, you are going to get the beating of your life!"

Sam stood in the place Hugh had demanded and waited. There was no sign of him yet. Or of Phil or Zain. She really hoped this would work. She didn't want to make Hugh angry, especially as she wasn't in control of the situation. She heard the warehouse door being drawn back and she saw Hugh, Phil and Zain standing in the dim light.

"Samantha, how lovely to see you. Too bad it had to be under these circumstances. If only you'd answered my letters!" Sam stared coldly at him

"Let Phil and Zain go." She said softly

"Come closer first"

"Don't Sam!" Phil shouted

"Be quiet" Hugh hissed and hit him again. Sam took a shaky breath and moved closer to the warehouse, so there were only metres between her and Hugh.

"Good" he smirked and pushed Phil and Zain out of the warehouse, where the fell on the ground and couldn't get back up as their hands were tied together. Sam looked around wildly, hoping the backup team would hurry up, but they didn't come.  
"Run" Phil shouted as Hugh advanced towards her. Sam didn't need telling twice, she ran towards were she hoped Terry and Jo would be waiting and wished she'd listened more when Jack was explaining what to do after she talked to Hugh. She'd been too worried about Phil to concentrate. She ran around a corner, and realised in horror that it was a dead end, but when she heard footsteps run past her hiding place, she breathed a sigh of relief, happy to be safe, and leant against the wall to catch her breath. She felt warm arms slide around her and she mumbled

"Phil?"

"No, it's me" A voice Sam never wanted to hear again snarled, and she felt a knife poke into her back


	19. Captured

**Thanks to** **my reviewers of the last chapter, della, the billnut, vikki and jake224. also thanks to everyone whos reviewed at any point during this fic, you're all stars :D**

Chapter 19

"Just walk away and say nothing" Hugh hissed at her, poking her with the blunt end of the knife. He dragged her into a group of bushes, trying to keep out of sight. He pulled her around so she was facing him. He saw how terrified she looked and smirked,

"Did you just think that I would let you run off to Loverboy?" he said with satisfaction in his voice. Sam glared at him.

"Well I have news for you Sam, he's gay, he told me so himself. " Hugh smirked  
SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP  
Phil looked around for Sam in a panic. Zain came up behind him.

"Sorry mate, she's gone. A witness saw him pull her into a car and drive off."

"This is all your fault you know" Phil snapped

"How exactly is this _my_ fault?" Zain argued. "If anything, it's…" Phil didn't let him finish, and punched him, hard.

"And another thing!" Phil shouted "Why did you tell him I was gay" He punched him again. Zain had had enough. He's been stuck with Hugh longer than Phil had and he wasn't just going to let him get away with punching him.

"I was trying to keep you both out of trouble! But you still managed to get yourselves caught!" Zain shouted, punching him back.  
SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP  
Jo arrived in time to see Phil and Zain rolling around on the ground, trading punches. Phil scrambled to his feet and was about to kick Zain in the ribs, when Jo caught his arm and dragged her back.

"It's not his fault Phil!" Phil glared at Zain one more time and walked away with Jo. He sat on the edge of the pavement

"You right" he mumbled to Jo "It' my fault"

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP

Sam lay bound and gagged in the back of Hugh's car as he sped away. She was thinking about what Hugh had told her _Phil can't be gay… can he? Maybe that was the reason he was so worried about Zain's sexuality… _Hugh glanced at her,

"Thinking about Loverboy again?"

"No" she lied. She had never felt worse in her life, with the exception of when Abi was missing, of course. She hated Hugh so much. She didn't care about anything anymore, except making him suffer. So out of pure spite for Hugh, she said the one thing she knew would annoy him.

"I'm actually thinking about my boyfriend"

"What!" Hugh said, slamming on the breaks "You have a boyfriend!"

"Yeah, I think you met him actually, his names Zain" she smirked, Knowing Hugh would be furious that he's had Zain, yet he'd managed to escape from him basically unscathed.

"What?" he glared at her, stopping the car, dragging her out of the car by her hair, pulling her along as she stumbled and fell. He pulled her up, making her walk before he pushed her through a door and down a narrow dingy corridor. Pushing her against a chair, tying her arms and blindfolding her. She screamed, she didn't want to not be able to see what he was doing, his hand clamped around her mouth, his fingers digging in. As she calmed slightly, he slowly let go of her, gagging her. Without saying a word he left her, smiling to himself as he listened to her cries and sobs.  
_Zain couldn't be her boyfriend, could he?_ Hugh thought as he stood outside the door. _Either way, it won't matter. She'll love me by the end of this. _he consoled himself  
As he came back into the small, grubby room, he noticed that Sam had calmed dramatically. He pulled her blindfold off, staring into her swollen eyes.

"Feeling better?"  
She ignored him, staring back into his eyes, trying to prove that she wasn't scared of him…

**please R&R**


	20. Confession

**A/N: Thanks to Vikki and Ami for reviewing :D**

Chapter 20

Abi nervously entered Sunhill Police Station, looking around for someone she knew. When she didn't see anyone she recognized, she approached the front desk and asked the man behind it

"Hello, can I please talk to someone who works with my…. With DS Nixon?"

"Yeah, he does" the man pointed to another man with a black eye and a limp. She went over to him.

"Excuse me, do you work with DS Nixon? She's my mother."

"You're Abi, right?"

"Yeah"

"Aren't you supposed to be missing?"

"Yeah… but I came home and heard that my mums gone!" She trailed off and burst into tears. Zain wasn't sure how to comfort her and watched her awkwardly

"Do you know where she is?"

"No, but it's all my fault that she got caught!"

"Why? What did you do?" She shook her head, tears falling

"Everyone would hate me if they knew"

"Do you want me to get DS Hunter? You know him, don't you?"

"NO!" She shouted "It's his fault too! If he hadn't shacked up with my mum, none of this would have happened."  
"Are you sure they're together?"

"I've seen them together." Zain frowned. He had guessed that Sam and Phil were a couple, but had decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He hadn't wanted another beating from Phil, after all.

"It's still not his fault though. Hugh knew where to find them though. I wonder how…" Zain thought aloud. Abi started crying again, and whispered quietly

"I told him"

"Why would you do that Abi?" Zain shouted at her "Do you have any idea what you've put your mum through while you were missing and then you just decide to get her and Phil and me captured!"

"Hugh captured you and Phil too? Did he do that to you?" she asked pointing at his black eye

"No, that was Phil, but that's not the point! Your mum could be seriously hurt or even dead and it would be all your fault!" At that moment, Phil stepped into the front office, and saw Abi crying and Zain standing in front of her.

"DC Nadir, what's going on?" he asked. Zain glanced at Abi again and pulled him into an interview room

HUXONHUXONHUXON

"What the Hell do you think you're doing!" Phil hissed at him "That's Sam's daughter, you know!"  
"She told Hugh about you and Sam! That's why he kidnapped us!"

"That still doesn't give you the excuse to shout at her. And what about me and Sam?"

"That you're going out."

"How many times? We. Are. Not. A. Couple."

"But Hugh and Abi said…"

"You believe a hormonal teenager and an evil psycho over me?" Phil snapped at him

"But the way you act around each other… It just seems to fit, that's all"

"I don't care what you've seen, or what you think fits, or what anyone tells you. Unless you hear it from me or Sam, we aren't going out, ok?

"Yeah alright. We'd better go talk to Abi now I suppose" he said turning to go back outside

"Wait" Phil sighed "There's something I have to know, ok?"

Yeah, alright" Zain said looking confused "What's wrong?"

"You're not in love with me are you?"

"No! Why would I be?"

"Just something that Sam said."

"Really? She said something about you fancying me too"

"I think she's got some explaining to do when we find her. It didn't help that you kept giving me strange looks though. What was with that?"

"Jo and I had a bet on to see if you were going out or not. Looks like she won" Zain admitted.

"Have you two really nothing better to do than discuss my love life? Phil asked him disbelievingly "I really mustn't be giving you enough work."

"Let's go interview Abi" Zain said hurriedly changing the subject. Phil smirked and followed him back into the reception. However, Abi was no-where to be seen…


	21. Hunger strike

**Thanks to all the reviewers. all credit for the sam scenes in this goes to laura (chicken) enjoy**

"JT, did you see where that girl I was talking to went?" Zain asked him

"Blonde? Looking for Sam?"

"Yeah"

"Jo took her to the canteen." Both men heaved a sigh of relief and went to find them.  
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"Abi we need to know exactly what happen to you after you left your grandparents' house" Zain said

"And why should I tell either of you? You shouted at me" She said to Zain "And it's all your fault anyway" she snapped at Phil.

"I haven't done anything!" Phil shouted

"If you hadn't shacked up with my mum, he wouldn't have kidnapped any of you!"

"I am NOT sleeping with your mum!" Phil shouted, finally losing his temper after repeatedly being accused of going out with Sam.

"It's alright Phil, calm down" Jo whispered, placing her hand on his arm. "Why don't we take a break, let's go get something to eat. We'll bring you something over in a minute Abi." She said, standing up, dragging Zain and Phil with her.  
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Tears rolled down Sam's cheeks as she sat in a dingy room, handcuffed to a radiator and gagged. She was really stiff, but she couldn't move properly. Hugh had left the building hours ago, not bothering to leave any food or water, so she was tired, dirty and hungry. She'd tried to sleep, but she couldn't get comfortable with the handcuffs on and anyway, she couldn't stop the thoughts running through her head. She couldn't sleep in case someone happened to walk past, so she could scream for help.

She stared at the grey walls that surrounded her. It was a good job she wasn't claustrophobic or matters would be 100 times worse. She's lost all sense of time since Hugh had confiscated her mobile and of course, the day Hugh kidnapped her had to be the day that she forgot to put on her watch. With a watch, she could at least keep herself sane by thinking of what Phil would be doing at the time. But without it, she had no idea whether it was day or night, or how many days had passed in her underground prison.

She listened closely for any sounds of human life, but could hear none. She did occasionally hear a car, but usually, there was silence apart from the wind or the sounds of birds tweeting through the open window. At least Hugh had given her that.  
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Abi sat in her seat in the canteen watching the three police officers that were "getting her something to eat". She knew they were only up there to talk about her. It hardly took three people to carry a sandwich and a drink, did it. She had calmed down, but only because Jo had stopped Phil from yelling. She was liking him less and less every time she saw him. That Zain guy didn't seem too bad though. She could tolerate him. At least he wasn't trying to sleep with her mum anyway.  
From now on, I'm not going to answer anything Phil asks me, she decided. I'll show him up in front of his colleagues. Let's see how he likes being humiliated.

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"Why won't you eat?" Hugh asked Sam. She just stared defiantly at the wall behind him, refusing to even look at him, never mind eating the food he'd prepared. He forced her to look at him, turning her head sharply until she was facing him

"I asked you why you won't eat"

"I'm not going to eat until you tell me why"

"Why what?"

"Why you're holing me here" She felt a sense of defiance, a sense of power over him. By not eating, she knew she could control him, she knew she could make him tell her why she was here. That would be a small victory perhaps, but it would make her hopes of escape and survival seem so much more real. Hugh however, ignored her question.

"So how much longer are you going to keep this up for?" She didn't answer. He knew what she wanted.

"If you don't eat, you'll die" he warned her. But deep down he knew he would never let that happen, even if he had to force feed her. She just stared at him

"I don't care if you die" he lied. She shrugged and pushed her meal away from her, hoping her stomach wouldn't choose that moment to rumble, which thankfully, it didn't. She felt a sense of pride and delight run through her. She was winning, and they both knew it.

"Fine, you want to know why...?" he gave in

**oo cliffhangery or what? press the big blue button :D**


	22. Giving in?

**Thanks to my reviewers ami, vikki, thebillnut, fred, hannah, nicola and snowflea. **

**sorry for not updating in ages, my comp killed itself.**

Chapter 22

Sam sat reeling from his explanation. She'd always known Hugh liked her, even after they'd split, but she'd had no idea he loved her. And he knew about her abortion. She'd always thought she'd kept it a secret. She had no idea how he could have found out as the only person she'd ever told was Phil, and she knew he would never tell him.

Even though she didn't want to, she had eaten the food he'd prepared. After all she was very hungry. And he had kept his side of the bargain. She had to prove to him that she was capable of keeping her side of a deal.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So when did you meet up with Hugh, Abi?" Phil asked. Abi ignored him.  
"If you want to find your mum, you're going to have to cooperate Abi" Jo pointed out.  
"In an alley after I ran away from my grandparents" Abi answered quickly, smiling at Jo and glaring at Phil.  
"You know, running away was probably the stupidest thing you could have done" Phil pointed out, getting angry again.  
"Leave her alone Phil, she's got enough to worry about now without you snapping at her all the time." Zain said. Abi beamed at him. She was beginning to like him a lot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phil got up and walked away as he saw Abi's delight as Zain stuck up for her. He sat at his desk, watching the empty space in front of him at her desk, hoping that it might give him answer to all the questions whirling around his mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Zain" Jo whispered "Abi really likes you. She's not listening to me or Phil. maybe you should comfort her or something"  
"What? No way. DS Nixon would kill me  
"Only if you're stupid enough to let it go too far."  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Abi" Zain smiled nervously as he entered the room.  
"Hi" she smiled back  
"I know this is really, really hard for you, but you're going to have to tell me everything you told Hugh."  
"What about Phil?"  
"What about him?"  
"Won't he be angry?"  
"No. He's just very worried about your mum. We all are."  
"I told Hugh that Phil and my mum were a couple and I told him where to find them."  
"Did he say where he was going?"  
"He just said that he was going to find her!"  
"Why did you tell him Abi?" he asked gently  
"I don't know. I was just so annoyed that she wasn't listening to me when I said I wanted to come home"  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Phil watched the interview, sickened at the way Abi was acting

"I remember something now." Abi said as Zain got up to leave. "He used to talk to me about this secret room that he had in his parents' house. Apparently no-one else knew about it. Only him."  
"Do you know where it is?"  
"Yeah. I think I remember." she said, eager to please Zain.

**reviews make updates come faster :P**


	23. To the rescue

**Thanks to Vikki, kelbobs15, dolphincrazy and amy 3 for reviewing the last chapter. hope you like this one**

Chapter 23

Phil, Zain, Jo and Abi walked out into the car park  
"Zain, you and Jo take your car and follow behind mine. Abi, you come with me and you can give me directions" Zain and Jo nodded, and walked towards Zain's car  
"No." Abi said quietly "I'll go with Zain". Phil opened his mouth to argue, but Zain interrupted.  
"That's fine. I don't care who I go with" Phil sighed as Abi rushed to Zain's car  
"What?" Zain asked defensively as Phil stared at him in annoyance.  
"Just remember, that's Sam's daughter. Anything happens to her, and your life won't be worth living" Zain shuddered at the thought, he remembered his last run in with Samantha, and he still had the scar from it.  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
"Zain, are you and my mum friends?"  
"What?" said a distracted Zain "Yeah. We get on. Why?"  
"No reason... Does my mum have a boyfriend?"  
"No. Not that I know of anyway"  
"What about Phil?"  
"No. They're not together."  
"Do you have a girlfriend... or a boyfriend?" Zain took a deep breath. If one more person asked he was gay, he was going to kill them  
"I'm single and straight."  
"Really." Abi said happily. Zain took another deep breath. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.  
"So are you happily single?" she asked innocently, Zain saw the familiar wicked glint in her eye that he knew so well from Samantha. Seeing so much of Samantha in Abi, he stopped himself from flirting back. Abi sat, disheartened that Zain wasn't playing her game.

* * *

Jo made sure that she was driving, she knew how erratic Phil's driving could be when he was angry or stressed. She took a deep breath, needing to ask this question...  
"I know you keep saying that there's nothing going on between you ... but you wish there was don't you?" Jo asked him  
"Yeah. I do"  
"Well, she likes you too."  
"What? How do you know?"  
"She told me"  
"What? When? Why?"  
"Before Hugh escaped. And girls tell each other things Phil." Phil sat back in his seat, happier than before.  
"So what's going on between Abi and Zain? Sam's going to flip when she finds out"  
"I know. Should be fun to watch."

* * *

Jo watched his face light up, he wasn't even bothered when Abi fell into Zain's arms after she tripped over a ditch in the grass.  
They circled the house, looking in all of the windows, as far as they could see, it looked pretty much undisturbed, dust, cobwebs and dirt had taken hold of the rooms.

* * *

Abi was having a great time. Well apart from the way her mum had been kidnapped. She was walking with a gorgeous guy who jumped to her defence every time someone criticised her. Life doesn't get much better

* * *

Despite the age gap, Zain couldn't deny that Abi was extremely pretty, she was just like Sam. He couldn't help but flirt back despite Jo's warning.

* * *

"Are we going in or not" called Phil impatiently  
"Duty calls" Zain said with a wink. Abi joined Jo and watched as they argued over who should break the door down.  
"Should I tell them I know where the key is?" Abi whispered to Jo  
"Nah. Don't spoil their fun."  
"Listen pal, I'm the sergeant I'm doing it!" Phil marked his authority  
Zain stood in a huff as Phil easily opened the door. They listened to the eerie silence inside the seemingly abandoned house. 

**An: like it? review. Hate it? review anyway.**


	24. Scarred

**Thanks to Vikki, dolphincrazy and Sacha for reviewing. Most of this chapter was written by Laura (Chicken160688) go praise her at the end of this lol. If you want to drop me a review too, you're more than welcome of course :D**

Chapter 24

"Sam!" Phil shouted as he got through the door

"Serge, Wallis might still be here." Jo reasoned

"The room's through here" Abi whispered as she led them through the huge house and rolled away a carpet to reveal a trapdoor.

* * *

Phil cautiously stepped down the steps into the dark room, lit only with a candle. Across the room, he saw a limp figure with a head of extreme blonde hair. Rushing over to her, the others following, he pushed the figure gently onto its side, pulling the hair over the face, seeing a badly mangled and burnt face and neck. He stood back quickly, utterly horrified, letting the figure go. The female screams from behind him, along with the sight of the burnt and twisted face in his mind, made him feel sick. He barely heard Abi sobbing into Zain's arms or Jo throwing up outside. He couldn't get the gory image out of his head, wherever he looked there it was. He turned about to go outside, when he noticed that the hair was slipping, slipping onto the floor. As he looked closer he saw melted wax and rubber from underneath the collar. He reached out cautiously to touch the figure, it didn't feel human. Ripping at the clothes he uncovered the plastic dummy, a shop dummy, badly burned and mangled, twisted and crushed, purposely designed to look like a human...Relief washed over him. 

"It's not her." he called to Jo, Zain and Abi.

"No. She's not here" said a voice from the shadows  
Phil looked up, looked around him.

"You disappoint me Phillip; I thought you'd at least play my game a little longer, you saw it straight away!" Hugh spoke from the shadows.

"You're sick!" Phil said simply

"Thank you!" Hugh smiled "She's not here!"

"Who?"

Hugh looked confused "Sam!"

"What makes you think we've come here for her?"

"Why else would you come?" Hugh said smugly, circling him. Jo had meanwhile taken Abi out of the room, Zain remained.

"Let me talk to Abi and I'll think about letting her go!" Hugh demanded

Before Phil could argue, Abi appeared at the door, while Zain went outside, guarding the door as instructed by Phil. Abi stepped nearer, into the pool of light, and Hugh remained in the shadows.  
As Abi looked at the body once more, she burst into tears, flinging herself at Phil, hitting him  
"It's all your fault, if it wasn't for you she would be here!" Hugh was slightly taken aback as he pulled Abi form him.

"Abi you do know that Phillip is gay don't you, he isn't after your mum, its Zain who's her boyfriend!" Abi looked at him in dismay "It's what she told me!"

"Zain!" Abi called "Get down here"

"What?" he asked

"I want an honest answer. What's going on between you and my mum? Were you just using me so you could find her?"

"What? How have I used you?"

"So there is something going on then?"

No! There's nothing going on!"

"Someone's lying here. Who is it?" Hugh roared, losing his temper

* * *

On hearing Hugh's shouts, Sam shuddered. She couldn't work out who he was talking to, she heard voices but she couldn't make them out. She tried again to pull her wrists free from the ropes, seeing that she could perhaps bite at them.

* * *

Zain looked at Phil, knowing that he was telling the truth but not wanting to drop Samantha in it when she was still at his mercy. 

"I am" Zain sighed, not meeting Abi's eyes.

"Isn't it so much better to be honest?" Hugh asked before punching him in the face.

Phil pulled Hugh back from a bleeding Zain who fled outside, followed by a distraught Abi.  
"When are you going to give this up Hugh? Just let her go!"

"Just like that?" he mocked

"Yeah, if you give her up, you'll get a lighter sentence, you'll go back to prison anyway!"

I'm not going back to prison" Hugh whispered. "Not now I've gotten so close to getting through to Samantha"

"Getting through to her?"

"Yeah, she's starting to come round to my way of thinking!"

"She never will, you're wasting your time!" Sam stumbled out behind Hugh and fell to the floor.  
Hugh dived towards her before Phil even realised what had happened. He was about to do the same but then remembered that Zain was her "boyfriend", not him, he was only allowed to be professional. Phil took a deep breath, nodded to Zain.

"Hugh Wallace. I'm arresting you on suspicion of kidnap. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given as evidence"

* * *

Jo and Zain led him outside into the car while he struggled against them. Abi called an ambulance while Phil tended to a dazed and bruised Sam. 


	25. Hospital Talk

**Thanks to my reviewers:D**

Chapter 25

Sam awoke in St Hugh's hospital with Phil and Abi sitting on either side of her bed, avoiding looking at each other.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We arrested Hugh. He's going back to prison." Phil was looking troubled.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly

"It's nothing"

"Abi, could you give Phil and I a minute please" Abi silently got up and left the room. "So what's wrong?"

"You're not going to like it."

"What is it Phil?"

"I think that there's something going on between Abi and Zain."

"WHAT!"

* * *

Abi sat in the canteen trying hard not to cry. The last few hours had been very upsetting for her. She knew that she should be glad that her mum was OK, but she couldn't believe that her mum was going out with Zain. He was like half her age! Just like she was like half Zain's age. She ducked her head as she saw Zain enter the canteen, and as soon as she saw him, the tears began to fall.  
"What's wrong?" Zain asked, coming over to stand next to her.

"Your mum's ok, right?" Abi gulped and muttered

"She's fine"

"Then what's wrong?" Abi shook her head, unable to speak. Zain sat down next to her, not knowing exactly what to do. Abi threw herself into his arms and Zain awkwardly patted her on the back, knowing what Sam was going to do to him if she heard about this.

"So" Abi said, finally wiping away her last tear "Did you come to give me the whole 'I'm sorry, but nothing could ever happen between us' speech?"

"No." replied Zain "Why would I do that?"

"Aren't you going out with my mum?"

"No. It was just a cover story Abi. It wasn't real."

"Oh." Abi said in shock "so is Phil really gay?"

"No"

"So him and my mum...?"

"If they're not together now, they will be soon. Does that bother you?"

"A bit" Abi said truthfully. She rested her head on his shoulder, and they sat together for a few seconds before Abi said

"You know that my mum's going to kill you when she hears about this"

"Hey, you're the one that threw yourself at me, not the other way 'round" Zain laughed. Then he added" Look I know you don't really like Phil right now, you think this was all his fault, but you really don't know him. He was really hurting. It wasn't his fault!"

"Well maybe I'll talk to him too!" Abi said cautiously

* * *

Zain knew he had better get back to work soon, but that would involve going past Sam's room and if she saw him, he knew what would happen. Still, he knew he had to get to work, before the DCI got annoyed. He took a deep breath and began to stride past her room

"DC NADIR!" Sam shouted after him "Get back here!" Zain sighed and ran a hand threw his hair. He was going to be late for work.

"Yes Serge?" he said, hoping she didn't go totally over the top.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at? She's 17! And you're... You're not!"

"Yes I know but before you kill me, just let me explain! There's nothing going on between me and Abi, She just needed someone to comfort her." Sam raised an eyebrow, watching him

"And?"

" Look I'll be honest with you, whenever I see her I see you and it reminds me of how you would kill me if I were to ever go near her." he admitted. Sam looked at the floor. She didn't want to be seen as a monster, she didn't want to scare off her daughter's boyfriends

"Alright, well I suppose you're not that bad, she's brought home worse, not doubt I did too!"

"Does that mean that I'm forgiven? And if anything were to ever happen, not that it will of course, but if something did happen, you wouldn't completely kill me?" he said hopefully, choosing his words carefully

"I suppose!" she admitted, smiling "You better be good though, you hurt her and I'll let Phil beat you up again!" she teased  
"You heard about that then?"

"I thought it was quite impressive to break your nose with one punch!"

"Yeah alright! ...So ...er... What's going on with you and Phil?"

"What do you mean? Why would there be anything going on?" she asked defensively

"Well there evidently is, don't worry I'll get the round up from Abi!" he smirked, leaving the room.

**Press the big blue button**


	26. I Love You

**Chapter 26 **

**Thanks to kelbobs, Vikki, dolphincrazy and katie for reviewing the last chapter. **

**I had previously published this rp/fic on another site and on that site, this was the last chapter, where it was generally quite well recieved. However, I get the feeling readers here wouldn't like it to be left here, so I'm going to write an epilogue soon. Enjoy**

Phil stood outside Sam's hospital room door, hand up, ready to knock. But he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He knew this was probably the best chance he was going to get to tell Sam the truth. To tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He remembered what happened in the bathroom that night she got kidnapped. How she had rejected him, and it made him worry even more.

He began to turn away from the door, too worried about being rejected to even try to talk to her about their possible relationship. Then the door opened and a nurse stood there.

"Ms Nixon wants to know if you want to come in or not?" the nurse smiled

"Yeah, I'm coming in" Phil said, slightly confused

"There's a window beside you, Mr Hunter" the nurse reminded him, seeing his baffled expression "We've seen you standing out there for at least 10 minutes

"Ah" Phil nodded, suddenly feeling stupid. The nurse smiled reassuringly at him and left, shutting the door behind her.

"So what were you doing out there?" Sam asked him, smiling slightly

"Just thinking" he said

"About what?" Phil paused, wondering whether or not to answer truthfully.

"You" he finally admitted

"What about me?" she asked hopefully.

"Remember that night that Hugh came to my house..." he said slowly

"Yeah?"

"When I tried to kiss you, you pulled away. Why was that?"

"I dunno. Because I was worried about Abi for one thing. And anyway, you were drunk"

"No I wasn't!"

"You weren't?"

"No"

"Then why'd you try to kiss me?"

"Because..." he said, feeling awkward, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought the topic up  
"Because why?"

"Because I think I'm in love with you,"

"Oh" Sam said quietly "I didn't realise you cared that much" A silence fell over them. When Phil couldn't take the silence any more, he said

"I take it you don't feel the same way about me then?"

"I didn't say that"

"Well do you?"

"It doesn't matter if I do. Abi needs me right now. I don't have time for a boyfriend"

"Please Sam. Even if we can't be together right now, I have to know if I ever have a chance"

"Yes Phil, if Abi wasn't an issue, I would want us to be together. But she is an issue. I can't hurt her by being with you. I'm sorry"

"Okay" he said, looking defeated, "I'd better be getting back to work..."

"Phil wait!" she called after him

"Yeah?"

"The second Abi doesn't need me anymore, I'll come see if you're still interested" she promised.

"I will be" Phil smirked and walked out the door, shutting it carefully behind him.

**review please :D**


	27. Epilogue

**Thanks to ImagineEternity, Vikki, xxx, Maz, kerrysmithyfan, Chelsee, icetru8, della, jake224, Ami, thebillnut, Fred, hannah, Nicola, dolphincrazy, Snowflea, Abi, NIXONSPARKLE, kelbobs15 and Katie who all reviewed at some point :D**

**especially Vikki, dolphincrazy and NIXONSPARKLE who reviewed the previous chapter.**

**Escape: the epilogue **

Sam could feel Phil's eyes on her as she worked, knowing he was waiting for her to make a move. It had been several months since Hugh had been re-arrested and a lot had changed during that period.

The office was in a depression since new boy Stuart Turner was shot dead outside the station by an unknown assailant. Sam hadn't really taken that much to do with him, but she knew that he and Phil had gotten along well, and was sorry he'd gone. Jo had been temporarily transferred to Nottingham and CID was empty without her.

Zain had recently been through his own personal hell as his drug dealing girlfriend died of an overdose, but it was even worse for him as very few people knew he was grieving. He'd been undercover, and hadn't revealed the extent of his real feelings to anyone except Phil, who'd later confided in Sam.

Phil's divorce had finalised a few weeks ago, and he'd taken great pleasure in telling Sam. She'd seen a glint of hope in his eyes when he'd told her but she'd feigned disinterest, it still being the wrong time for a relationship between them, however now Abi had gone away, with her son to university, promising she'd only call Sam in an emergency, opening the way for a potential relationship. Abi had since grown used to the idea of her mother and Phil becoming more than just friends, but Sam still hadn't wanted to risk it, knowing her daughter's temperamental tendencies.

Evidently Phil knew of Abi's departure, giving the amount of stares he was giving Sam, and she had to wonder how. Was it possible that Abi had called him? Her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat above her. She glanced up and saw Zain standing above her, looking bored and depressed as usual.

"Can you sign this for me?" he handed her a report. She nodded and added her signature without so much as glancing through it, as she most certainly would have done a month or so ago. Zain had calmed down considerably since Kristen Shaw's death, and he was definitely not the rebel he used to be.

"How you feeling today?" she asked.

"Alright," he said in a gruff voice, hand in one pocket, staring at a spot directly above Sam's head.

"Okay." Sam said, knowing he was lying, and knowing he knew he was lying, but there was nothing she could do to console him. He went back to his desk without another word and Sam spent the rest of the morning doing her own paperwork, feeling extremely uncomfortable as Phil's eyes continued to bore into her throughout.

* * *

She needed to say something to him. That much was obvious, but she didn't know what she possibly could say. She didn't know what she wanted with him. Would their talk be an 'I'm ready for us to be together' one, or a 'stop staring at me, it's creepy' one? 

"Can we talk?" Phil said from behind her

"Course. What's up?" she asked, continuing to type

"I heard Abi's left home."  
"Who told you that?"

"Abi. I think her exact words were 'if you two don't get a move on, mum's going to die a lonely old woman.'" Sam felt herself go slightly red, and she knew if she were to turn around, Phil would be smirking.

"I'm not that old." She said

"You are compared to Abi." He pointed out

"First Zain, now you… Why do all the old men love Abi?" she teased

"I'm not that old!"

"You are compared to…." She paused thinking of someone to use

"I get the point. Anyway, you know it's you I'm interested in, not Abi…"

"I know."

"So… Want to go out tonight?"

"Sorry, I'm busy." Sam said, realising she had to go help Abi unpack.

"Okay, "He sounded disheartened, "How about tomorrow?"

"Still busy." She said, intending to stay the night at Abi's.

"Next Tuesday?" he tried

"Sorry, no." she said, still typing her report.

"Okay," Phil said, "I can take a hint," and left CID

"Phil!" she called, going after him

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"You told me that you wanted us to be together, remember?"

"I do."

"Then what's with all the excuses?"  
"They're not excuses Phil; I really do have places to be."

"Oh." He said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"I'm free on Wednesday," she hinted

"Wednesday it is." He said, not knowing if he was free or not, but deciding that whatever it was couldn't be more important than a first date with Sam. Their eyes met, and Phil flashed her one of the smiles he kept just for her. Sam mumbled something about having to get back to work, and Phil nodded, wondering if she was going to leave without kissing him goodbye. They both stood still, feeling more than a little awkward, and for the first time, Phil wondered what a potential relationship would do to their friendship.

"See you later," he said, knowing he had a lot to think about.

"Phil wait," she called him back. He turned around quickly, wondering what she wanted. In a few strides, she closed the gap between them and kissed him briefly.

"See you later." She echoed his words, before heading in the opposite direction. A slow smirk spread across Phil's face as he watched her retreating back. He had a feeling everything would work out okay after all..

* * *

**Well that's it :D I'll be starting a new fic soon, but it probably won't be the bill lol.**

**see ya all soon :D**


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